Who will receive the fulminating Lokpal Bill Cascade in his Tress?

When the people's uprising was sweeping over the country sympathising the nonviolent battle waged by, arguably a relatively lesser known Indian, a social activist, Anna Hazare, and a group of like-minded persons against the whiffy condition of the government offices bathed in corruption , many a level-headed socio-political observer in India thought that it would be unwise to make a comment on it at that point.

A healthy reason for this could be the big fact that the plain dreams of the commoners who are mostly affected by the widespread corruption of a Lokpal Bill - towards the realisation of a body referred to as the ombudsman of the citizens - could well once again end up with the trash, as it had been happening with the previous versions of the bill right from 1969 to 2008. And all for the reason that - to be sounding reasonable - the Jan Lokpal Bill has been and is still at the stage of a glorified Utopian concept.


The Lokpal Bill and the Jan Lokpal Bill


The Lokpal Bill, first introduced in 1969 in the fourth Lok Sabha had been passed there although it lost foothold in Rajya Sabha subsequently. Following this, bills were introduced in the years 1971, 77, 85, 89, 96, 98, 2001, 05 and 08, only to be found still pending. The Lokpall Bill was drafted with a view to filing corruption complaints with the ombudsman, against the MPs, ministers and even the prime minister.

It needs no substantiation to prove that every time it was introduced to the house, the Lokpal Bill was referred to some committee or other for enhancements. It appeared as if the democrats across the history had been competing to cite the flaws in bill every time it went to them. This drove the 'India Against Corruption' activists have a fresh draft prepared for the bill dubbed Jan Lokpal Bill.


The difference between Lokpal Bill and Jan Lokpal Bill


While the Lokpal Bill has hardly any power to initiate suo motu action as well as to receive corruption complaints from the public, the Jan Lok Pal Bill would be having these powers. Secondly, the Jan Lokpal Bill will not be just an advisory organisation like the Lokpal Bill, and will have the power to initiating prosecution on any guilty.

Lokpal Bill that is devoid of police powers and the power to register FIRs will be trascended by the Jan Lokpal Bill that will come with all these powers. Besides, the Jan Lokpal Bill, according to the think-tank that prepared the draft, will be one independent body merged with the CBI's anti-corruption wing.


Criticism of the Jan Lokpal Bill


The most caustic criticism of the Jan Lokpal Bill is that if it was naive at best, it was subversive of the representative democracy at worst. Nevertheless, an advocate of the fresh version of the bill, Arvind Kejrival has stated that the bill would only be probing corruption offences and submiting a charge sheet that would then see trials and prosecutions via trial and higher courts.


The Ground Reality


Corruption, in India has evolved into nothing less than a lifestyle, particularly in the recent times. Any office, under any department of the government today boasts of employees that think kickbacks are their birthright. When taken a look at it from another angle it becomes more clear that the so called stigma is very much mired with lives of the much celebrated general public as well.

For instance Mr A is a leading actor of the Malayalam filmdom that has earned a fortune through his acting career. He incidentally spawned an number of offsprings that is not at all a crime according to the Indian Constitution. He had everything with him to feed, clothe and educate his children with the best in the market. However, when it came to providing them with shelter, the actor had to resort to good old corruption ways - obviously for acquiring river sand - which in their turn sparked off a frantic run of tipper trucks across the rural roads, more often than not, jeopardising the lives of the commoners, especially school-going children.

This brings the Road Transport Office to the fray, then as always the scene is complemented by the contribution from the Police.

This actor is just the tip of the iceberg, with more specimens such as this not just lurking in the society, but reflecting the real nature of the society itself. Add to this; can one figure out a retail medicine dealer, a pharmacy firm, or a medical diagnostic laboratory that does not bribe the doctors of their vicinity? Is it not true that a substantial majority of the new recruits to the various government offices have tipped someone or other in this regard?

Will not this trait of the people of acquiring commodities and services at the earliest and to the optimum, using any dubious short-cut, hinder any initiative of the sort of a Lokpal legislation?


Who will feed the politician?


Likewise, the politician is paid by the public only after his assuming a governmental post, and even after this, the payment is just not enough for him to maintain the unofficial (often unholy) team behind him that had helped him in achieving that goal. This team has donned a vital role in the journey of the politician to his target of being part of the governing body. Here can one blame the politician for being forced to do something undemocratic for finding the wherewithal to maintain the interests of these people intact?

This enormity when commited by a polical party is the worst devastating. Can the bill do something that would place a political party under the scanner and under the risk of being penalised for the error committed? Otherwise, there will also be the threat of all the wrongdoers assembling under the shade of political parties for escaping punishment.


The Generation Gap


Going back to the euphoria of the fast carried out by Anna Hazare at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, only a couple of weeks back, one could see a great attendance of the youth, which included a considerable number of minor children. With allegations being made against prominent people that were to constitute the citizens' panel, a few eyebrows remain raised particularly over the unfortunate prospect of the uprising being a misleader as far as the country's youth were concerned.

Here the people that lead the movement are required to refrain from confusing their young supporters - for instance, the charges sprouted against the Bhushans should take its own legal path, with no other member of the panel standing up to support the accused - or else it might culminate into their losing the confidence of this group. That says any person in the panel accused of corruption needs to stand out until he is proven not guilty. When the rest of the members of the panel stand in unison behind the tainted member, it points to an undesirable precedence that very much can be attributed to the working pattern of the political parties of the country.

Furthermore, this campaign certainly needs a more mellowed approach in place of blatantly bellowing overflowing passion over the media. It is greatly likely that people belonging to the trade groups of artists, sportsmen and thinkers lose their control seeing the overwhelming support they - the bill camapign - are getting from the various quarters of the country. Remember, if Anna Hazare who had justified his groups' flogging twelve men who were found in an inebriated state in spite of warnings in Ralegan Siddhi once upon a time, has blunted his sharp edges, Mr Anupam Kher has more than enough time to do the same.

Have a glimpse of the words of Hazare on April 9 2011 after breaking the momentous fast, "Real fight begins now. We have a lot of struggle ahead of us in drafting the new legislation, We have shown the world in just five days that we are united for the cause of the nation. The youth power in this movement is a sign of hope".

Yes...the power is definitely with the youth of the country that is fortunately as well as unfortunately in chains with the elders at the other end. Moreover, it is also fact that today's youth are the elders of the morrow. So what is required here is the composure of an elder and the curiosity of a youth.


The Politician has the final say


Above all, the most intimidating factor that snarls at the bill mischievously is the future of the Lokpal Bill at the hands of the very band of politicians that the bill promises to leash. If there is any Young Turk with a burning candle in India that hopes the Congress would pave a smooth road for the bill to face a crack down in the future on say, the Bofors Case, the BJP would welcome it to have its leaders exposed to scams such as coffin import and Karnataka land allotment, BSP to be probed on the the Taj Corridor scam, CPI-M on the SNC Lavalin Scam or the DMK would help the campaigners only for getting chastised in the future on the 2G spectrum scam, the person would be a hell of an optimist.

Here, even if the activists find their bill yet again despatched to one of those myriad committees that are ever-ready to devour something like that for ever, they should not lose confidence. Particularly since they have already gained vital grounds in the context. At the instance of another debacle, they will only gain time for restructuring the campaign in a more comprehensive manner - right from the grass-root level; starting from the villages of every state in India. They will find more people joining them this time, as it is apparent that the majority's confidence over the political parties have considerably eroded over the years.


Lokpal is the Divine Birthright of an Indian


This article does not deprecate the politicians as a whole. There is no arguing over the fact that there still exist in the country some fantastic human beings that have dedicated a serious part of their life and time for healthy politics. A Lokpal, if realised, would be the perfect breather for this rare cult.

This will also be hopefully the ideal bridge that would connect the Young Turks we see nowadays in the political sphere of the country with those deprived lower class that has decided to resort to arms after going through poignant decades of delinquent negligence.

The Lokpal Legislation is the real Saraswathi, the eternal cleanser, yet unfathomably powerful. If the Ganges river was brought to the land by King Bhagheeratha after years of arduous and strenous efforts, it needed the tress of a superhuman such as Lord Shiva to mitigate the astronomical impact of the great heavenly cascade, or so says the legend.

Likewise, the Lokpal too needs a colossal platform to be conceived first of all. Would the young Indian's mind suffice here if Hazare, a former vendor of sweet smelling flowers at Dadar, manage to lead it to the citadel?